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Sponsored Why retirees in Thailand are choosing long-term health insurance over quick fixes
Retirees in Thailand are increasingly seeing the importance of health insurance in protecting their well-being during retirement. With insurance requirements for retirement visas and rising healthcare costs, many are moving away from short-term plans and choosing long-term coverage. Long-term health...
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Bang Sue Station offers teenagers vaccination this week
Walk-in vaccination is available for teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 to receive a Pfizer vaccine at the Central Vaccination Centre at Bang Sue Grand Station. The program opened yesterday and will operate until November 10, administering first vaccines to any teenagers from 12 to 18 years old. There are few restrictions on the vaccine drive, welcoming Thai…
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Studying in Phuket As Foreigner – Education Visa
The Thaiger offers the following deal on Education Visas… Every year, millions of tourists flock to Phuket for the weather, beaches, culture, food, and shopping. Many of them are long-term guests who have come to spend their vacations here. This country has so many facets that it would be hard to see everything in one or two three-week vacations. Many…
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Easing of alcohol restrictions hinges on Covid-19 infection and hospitalisation rate
The National Security Council says any easing of alcohol restrictions will depend on the Covid-19 situation. NSC boss Supoj Malaniyom adds that the 17 provinces open to tourists are likely to be the first to see nightlife permitted to return. According to a Bangkok Post report, the sale of alcohol in restaurants could also be extended, provided the Covid-19 situation…
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Airports of Thailand expects 726,000 passengers in November, mostly domestic
The president of Airports of Thailand says the country’s airports can expect around 726,000 passengers this month, following Thailand’s re-opening. However, Nitinai Sirismatthakarn says most of those will be domestic travellers, with around 270,529 expected from overseas. The Bangkok Post reports that 31 flights, carrying around 2,600 passengers, landed at Suvarnabhumi yesterday. Around 1,500 were international arrivals. Meanwhile, Anucha Nakasai…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 7,679 new cases and 56 deaths
7,679 new Covid-19 cases and 56 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,482 recoveries. There are now 97,585 people in Thailand currently being treated for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has recorded…
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Facebook facial recognition system being ditched amid growing privacy concerns
Facebook is getting rid of its facial recognition system, which currently identifies and suggests tagging of individuals in photos and videos. The company’s vice-president of artificial intelligence, Jerome Pesenti, says the technology is being ditched due to uncertainty over its use. “Regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use. Amid this ongoing…
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Disgraced cop Thitisan and 6 other officers charged in death-in-custody case
Disgraced police chief Thitisan Utthanaphon and 6 other officers have been charged in an investigation into the death of a man in custody. The victim, 24 year old Chiraphong Thanapat, died while under interrogation at a police station in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan in August. Video footage that showed Thitisan placing several plastic bags over the drug suspect’s…
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PM says Thailand will step up fight against climate change
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has vowed to step up Thailand’s focus on tackling climate change. He made this announcement yesterday in Glasgow at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties, also known as the COP26. This convention is a forum in which world leaders can meet and make plans to address relevant climate issues. Prayut…
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How Germany’s new government could impact young Africans
It’s young, developing and brimming with potential. Yet, the African continent doesn’t seem to feature prominently on Germany’s foreign policy agenda. Just over a month after Germany’s much-anticipated federal election, coalition talks are still ongoing. Headline-grabbing issues like climate change and migration are on the agenda: But many young Africans are also keenly waiting for the outcome, with the new…
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Vaccinations accelerated for inmates following Covid-19 outbreaks at prisons
More than 74,000 inmates at Thailand’s overcrowded prisons and detention centres have tested positive for Covid-19 over the past several months, which is about a fourth of the total number of prisoners in the country. Correctional facilities stopped allowing visits earlier this year and vaccinations have been accelerated. According to Nation Thailand, Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said prisons will start…
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Bangkok man busted for distributing pornography on social media
Thai police arrested a man for allegedly posting pornography on the Russian social media network VK after a woman reported that her photographs and videos were posted on the page without her permission. The page, which Nation Thailand reports was under the name “VK Nen-Jook,” reportedly had around 59,000 followers. More than 50,000 sexually explicit photos and videos had been…
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One Free Press Coalition spotlights rampant impunity in killings of journalists
Since 2011, 278 journalists have been killed in line of duty. In the past seven days alone, two journalists in Mexico and one reporter in the Phillippines have been killed, one of them even tortured. Last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists published its Global Impunity Index stating that 81% of journalists’ murders in the past decade remained unsolved. In…
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6,600+ arrive on first day of Thailand’s reopening
Thailand reopened yesterday with quarantine free international travel for vaccinated visitors, with more than 6,600 travellers entering the country. It’s a major step forward for the country after closing borders at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Fully vaccinated passengers from 63 countries can now enter without having to go through quarantine, with just a minimal isolation period…
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Indonesia approves Novavax Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use
The Indonesian government has approved the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, the first country in the world to do so. The Bangkok Post reports that the manufacturer and its partner, Serum Institute of India, has confirmed the approval. The vaccine will be sold under the brand name Covovax. The manufacturers have applied for emergency use authorisation in several countries,…
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Stabbing spree on Tokyo train Halloween night injures 17
A man dressed in what appears to be a costume of Joker from the Batman comics and movies allegedly went on a stabbing spree on a Tokyo train Halloween night, injuring 17 people. The train had to make an emergency stop and riders escaped the train through the windows. The alleged attacker, 24 year old Kyota Hattori, was arrested and…
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Thailand aviation sector optimistic following November 1 re-opening
Following Thailand’s re-opening yesterday to vaccinated tourists from 63 approved countries, the aviation sector is feeling positive. According to a TTR Weekly report, Thai carriers are hopeful that the re-opening will mean they can restore their schedules to pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year. The current situation is that Thai Air Asia is operating just 10 of its…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 7,574 new cases and 78 deaths
7,574 new Covid-19 cases and 78 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,279 recoveries. There are now 98,444 being treated for Covid-19 in Thailand. The number of active Covid-19 cases has been on a downward trend over the past month. In the latest and most severe wave…
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Bangkok governor says no to extending alcohol sales to 11pm
Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang is refusing to budge on the law that bans restaurant alcohol sales after 9pm, at least for now. He was responding to a call from Thanakorn Kuptajit of the Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association, who has called for sales to be extended to 11pm. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thanakorn believes allowing eateries to sell…
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North Macedonia: PM Zoran Zaev, the man who went ‘all in’ is all out
North Macedonia is set to enter a new phase of political instability after Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced his resignation following the heavy defeat of his Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) in Sunday’s local elections. “I take responsibility for the outcome of these elections and therefore I’m resigning as prime minister and as president of the Social Democratic Union,”…
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AfricaLink on Air – 1 November 2021
Africa Link is 10 years today! The channel has expanded by introducing various segments giving a voice to individuals who are often ignored by both local and international media. ++++ A historic UN climate summit begins in the UK, but how well is Africa represented? SOURCE: DW News
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Thailand Pass workaround for API error
NOTE: The following article was published in November 2021 and the Thailand Pass website has since been updated. For all those struggling to get past the dreaded Error from API server message when registering for the Thailand Pass, we’ve got a ‘fix’ for you – just follow these steps: 1. Use Google Chrome You need to be using Google Chrome…
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Afghanistan: Victims’ families decry glorification of suicide bombers
As she heard the news of the Taliban “honoring” families of their suicide bombers, 19-year-old Sharifa, who lost her father in a 2018 suicide attack in Kabul, burst into tears. “It’s like rubbing salt in the wound,” she said. On October 20, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interim interior minister, lauded the “sacrifices” of the suicide bombers, who perpetrated countless violent…
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Bangkok hospital director summoned for allegedly smuggling Favipiravir
The Bangkok hospital director who allegedly smuggled hundreds of boxes of Favipiravir antiviral pills, which are used to treat Covid-19, has been summoned by police. Last week, officers seized 390 boxes of Favipiravir and arrested nine people who were allegedly involved in selling the pills on social media at five times higher than the standard price. Officers from the Consumer…
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Indonesian president proposes travel lane for vaccinated visitors from Australia
A so-called travel lane between Indonesia and Australia for those who are vaccinated against Covid-19 is being proposed by the Southeast Asian country’s president Joko Widodo. A report from Bloomberg says the route is intended to boost tourism and economic ties between the two countries. Indonesia’s popular tourist island Bali reopened last month to foreign visitors from 19 countries, but…
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Killing off retirement opportunities in Thailand – OPINION
OPINION Quite clearly the Government has simply not thought through the impact of the insurance provisions imposed by the Thailand Pass on “budget tourists” and likewise on current and prospective retirees in Thailand. The sobering reality is that it is well nigh impossible for individuals, 70 years and above, to obtain health insurance other than at exorbitant rates. The insurance…
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Massive buffet for monkeys in Lop Buri set for this month
A holiday is coming up… for monkeys. The annual Monkey Festival in the central province Lop Buri is approaching and a buffet of fruits will be set up for the thousands of crab-eating macaques occupy the grounds of the 13th century temple Pra Prang Sam Yod. The feast is scheduled for November 28, but the monkeys have gotten some treats…
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Monday Covid Update: 8,165 new cases; provincial totals
55 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,260 with 19,166 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,165 new Covid-19 cases and 9,574 recoveries. There are now 99,227 people in Thailand being…
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Spain: Fight for the Ebro Delta
In the Ebro Delta, the government wants to buy large areas of land — as a natural buffer zone for expected sea level rise. The plan has prompted strong opposition from the local population. SOURCE: DW News
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After 600 days shut off from the world, Australia re-opens in a flood of emotion
There have been tears of joy at Sydney airport today as loved ones reunited for the first time in nearly 600 days. Sydney and Melbourne have re-opened to international travellers, permitting vaccinated Australian citizens to return without quarantine. Since the start of the pandemic, families and loved ones have been separated, with thousands of Australians stranded overseas due to one…
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Suspect in transnational sex trafficking case arrested in Samut Sakhon
A suspect in a transnational sex trafficking case was arrested on Friday in Samut Sakhon, a province just southwest of Bangkok. The suspect allegedly promised a number of Thai women well-paying jobs in massage parlours in Dubai, but once the women were in the UAE, their passports were seized by traffickers and they were said to be forced into sex…
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